The electrical panel feeds almost every system in the house, which makes it one of the systems you plan around. Most of the work on it belongs to a licensed electrician. Your part is keeping the space clear, the labels accurate, and the records complete, so that any future work starts from a clear picture.
Who should open the panel?
The cover is for a licensed electrician. Do not remove it to read a label or reset a breaker unless your local rules allow it and you are trained to do so. If a breaker keeps tripping, or you notice warm covers, scorch marks, a burning smell, or buzzing, turn off the affected circuit if it is safe to do so and call a licensed electrician.
How much clear space is needed?
The area in front of the panel and to its sides must stay open. Local electrical rules set the depth and width of the working space, so check the rule that applies to your address. Keep stored boxes, shelves, bicycles, and hanging items out of that area. A clear path is what lets an electrician work safely and quickly.
How should the labels read?
Each breaker should name the room or the appliance it feeds, in a clear and permanent form. Update the label whenever a circuit is changed, added, or moved. A label that names the old dryer or the old furnace is more confusing than no label at all, so check the directory against the actual wiring after any change.
What records should you keep?
Keep a short file with the panel's rating and service size, the year of the last panel work you know about, the permit for any change, and the install dates for the large appliances that draw from it. When you replace one of those systems, the file tells the installer which breaker and circuit the new unit uses and whether the old circuit needs any change.
Where do the planning dates come from?
Age is a planning input. Use the install year of the panel, or the year it was last worked on, as the starting point for the next review, and compare it with the typical service life figures published in the tables on this site. A panel that is old is not a problem by itself. What matters is that you know its age, its labels, and its records before someone needs to make a decision about it.